The Jean Lafitte National Park will hold activities to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through Oct. 15 in New Orleans. Free events hosted or funded by Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve are planned to highlight Hispanic history and culture from Spanish explorations in the Americas in the 1500s to today’s Latino cultures in southeast Louisiana. For more information, call 504-589-2636 ext. 1 or visit www.nps.gov/jela.

Hispanic Heritage Month begins with “Paseos Por New Orleans,” exhibit panels and oral history that present portraits of Latina/o cultural activists living in southeast Louisiana. The exhibit was created by oral historians Helen Regis, Nikki Thanos, and Gentry Hanks and graphic designer Gareth Breunlin in collaboration with CubaNOLA Arts Collective.

The project was funded by the National Park Service and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The exhibit kicks off with a special opening Sept. 22 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., in New Orleans and remains on display through Oct. 22. For more information, contact Helen Regis at hregis1@lsu.edu.

At Jean Lafitte’s French Quarter Visitor Center, 419 Decatur St., New Orleans, Isleño heritage will be focus of a talk Sept. 28. Descendants of St. Bernard Parish’s Spanish-speaking Canary Islanders who immigrated to Louisiana in the 1770s will speak from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parish historian William Hyland will speak at noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m.

Music with Ven Pá Ca Groupo Flamenco will be provided from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Cooking demonstrations throughout the day will feature nutria stew with Kathy Serpas Ziegler, caldo (Spanish soup) with Cindy Melerine, and arroz con pollo (chicken with rice) with Michael Martin.

Archaeology Day will be featured Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Children and aspiring archaeologists of all ages can work on field journals by learning skills all archaeologists use such as mapping and artifact recording. At 2 p.m., Tulane University archaeology professor Christopher Rodning will speak on his recent research and field excavations about early Spanish exploration in the Southeast, including south Louisiana.

A Hispanic History in New Orleans display will be held Tuesdays through Saturdays, Sept. 17 through Oct. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the French Quarter Visitor Center, which is managed by the National Park Service as one of the six sites of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The visitor center is the site of exhibits, displays, programs, and demonstrations of the history and cultures of New Orleans and the Mississippi River delta region of south Louisiana. The center and all programs are free and open to the public. The visitor center is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.